Walled Lake Police Chief Paul Shakinas. City residents will head to the polls Aug. 5 to decide whether they want to approve 3.95 mills for five years to fund their public safety department. Photo submitted by Paul Shakinas

FYI

Shall the City tax limitation imposed on all taxable real and tangible personal property within the City of Walled Lake, be increased in an amount not to exceed 3.95 mills ($3.95 on each $1,000 of taxable value) for five years, 2015 to 2020, inclusive, to provide funds to staff, equip, maintain and operate the Public Safety Department and for any other Fire, Police, or Public Safety purposes authorized by law?

The revenue the City will collect if the millage is approved and levied in the 2015 calendar year is estimated to be $692,000. An incremental portion of this revenue may be subject to capture by the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority according to existing laws and regulations generally applicable to taxable property within the City of Walled Lake.

Walled Lake voters could be deciding whether to keep the city’s fire department with next month’s election.

Residents will head to the polls Aug. 5 to decide whether they want to approve a new 3.95-mill tax for five years to fund their public safety department, a umbrella division which provides both police and fire services.

City Council members have said, should the millage fail, members will have to consider contracting fire services next year.

“If that happens, the level of service would be reduced with longer response times,” said Walled Lake Interim Fire Chief Jim Coomer.

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The millage, which would generate $692,000 the first year, is the first such tax request for the public safety services in the city of 7,000, said Police Chief Paul Shakinas.

A homeowner with a $100,000 home would pay an additional $197 a year.

• The police department, with a budget of $1.66 million has five full-time staff and 12 part-timers.

• The fire department, with a budget of $1.12 million, has four full-time staff, and 16 paid on-call crew.

Should the millage pass, the police department would add two additional full-time staff, said Shakinas.

In 2013, officials discussed the cost of contracting police services from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, talk that has ended.

“It is not cost-effective,” said Shakinas. “We are cheaper than the sheriff’s office.”